


Bound and Determined

by Mithen



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Confessions, Lasso of Truth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-24
Updated: 2006-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-15 03:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/156732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/pseuds/Mithen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Superman and Batman get tied together by the Lasso of Truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bound and Determined

Luthor clinked a champagne flute against the bars of the cell in which Superman and Batman were slowly returning to consciousness. "Should auld acquaintance be forget and never brought to mind, lads," he said cheerfully. "What a nice way to start off my New Year, with the two of you here together."

Superman muttered something obscene as he struggled to his feet, and Batman, dragged along with him, mentally seconded the sentiment. Luthor, with his usual perverse sense of humor, had tied the two of them together--Superman's hands tied behind his back, Batman's hands tied to Superman's so his arms were around the Man of Steel in a very reluctant hug. How embarrassing. Batman tried to shift away from Superman and get some distance, but the ropes binding them were surprisingly inflexible. He tried to peer over Superman's shoulder to catch a glimpse of them.

Luthor was definitely enjoying himself. He leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "And speaking of having you here, I have a few questions for you..."

A klaxon started to sound off in the distance. Luthor looked irritated. "Damn it, it's the rest of your cursed friends, I suppose. Don't go anywhere." He saluted the snarling Superman with his glass, drained the champagne, and hurried out of the cell bloc.

Batman caught his breath as he managed to catch sight of their bound hands. The rope binding them together glittered gold. The Lasso of Truth.

His first thought was worry for Diana--it would take a dire situation indeed to separate her from her lasso.

His second thought was that he by no means wanted his cell mate to find out that Batman was currently compelled to tell the truth to any direct question.

He began to work quietly on the knots binding the two of them. The magic inherent in the lasso made it particularly difficult, but there wasn't a knot yet, magical or unmagical, that could confound Batman forever. It would just take longer.

Superman angrily strained at his bonds, yanking the knots even tighter. "Stop it, you lummox," hissed Batman. "Do you want to rip off my arms?"

"...No," said Superman. "I can't seem to break it anyway, it must be magical."

Batman grunted noncommittally, fingering the knots. "Just sit still and stop making things worse for a change."

Superman growled over the Dark Knight's shoulder at the insult . "I'm not in the mood to be belittled by you tonight, Batman, not after having to endure Luthor laughing at the sight of us hugging each other. What the hell is your problem with me, anyway? Is there some reason you feel the need to put me down whenever I'm in the same room as you?"

It was a rhetorical question, a rhetorical question, it didn't require an answer...Batman sighed. "I insult you because it's an easy way to interact with you while keeping my distance at the same time."

A surprised pause. Clark pulled back to look at him more closely, his face only a few inches from Batman's cowl. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Beyond being frustrated at being constrained, and concerned about our teammates, I'm feeling just fine." One of the most annoying things about the Lasso of Truth, Batman thought irritably, was the way it made you _feel good_ when you told the truth: a rush of warmth that said that the truth would be so much easier, so much sweeter than lying, a suffusive pleasure that made you want to say even more. Simple Pavlovian psychology, really.

It felt _very good._

Superman was still mulling over what Batman had said earlier. Batman continued to work on the ropes, his fingers slipping from time to time, brushing the other man's. "So, are you saying you actually like to interact with me?"

"I look forward to our conversations, even when we argue." Another wash of well-being. Damn it.

Superman's eyebrows did indescribable gymnastics. "So, uh, why keep your distance?"

The stupid knot had to give some time. "I can't afford to get close to you, Kal. I can be quite intense when I'm fond of someone, and it's a distraction."

The other man's face had now moved past surprise and into blankness. "Fond of me? You think you could be...fond of me?"

"Yes." The damn lasso wasn't getting more than that out of him.

Superman snorted at what had to be a joke. "So you're saying that whenever I walk into the room I'm just so damn hot you want to jump me, huh?"

Floods of warmth down his spine, prodding. "That would be...an exaggeration. But the general sentiment is correct."

Clark stared at Batman for a while. "You have the most kissable mouth I've ever seen," he said abruptly. "I've wanted to kiss you from the moment I met you."

The warmth turned into a jolt of pure and radiant energy as Batman remembered Kal was bound with the same lasso he was. "Uh," he said rather distractedly, his fingers frantic on the knots.

"If I kissed you right now, would you be angry?"

A long, struggling pause. "No."

Superman closed the small gap between them and kissed him, his tongue flicking gently into Bruce's mouth when he didn't get bitten or snarled at, growing bolder and more invasive as the kiss went on. Finally he pulled back, panting slightly, his pupils dilated. "I can't believe you let me do that. You...you liked that?"

Batman was still reeling from the kiss, the damn lasso making it impossible to even simply give terse answers anymore. "Yes, yes, I liked it. I want you to do it again. Yes. Please." The stupid lasso compelled the truth, but it certainly didn't compel him to moan shamelessly while doing it. That was entirely Clark's fault, he thought rather bitterly. He had relished the feel of Clark's mouth on his, the surprised sound Clark had made when he had opened his mouth to him, the stunned and lustful look in Clark's eyes when he moved away. He wanted more of it. A lot more. He wanted--

Damn it, the lasso didn't even let you lie to _yourself._

Clark leaned in and kissed him again. Batman's hands on the knots slowed, stopped, and intertwined fervently with Superman's for a moment.

"So," Clark said as the second kiss ended, his voice rough with desire, "After we get out of here, if I were to show up at your place and tell you I wanted to have sex with you, what would you do?"

"If I thought there was any chance you'd actually do it, you'd find me already undressed and waiting in bed with a chilled bottle of champagne nearby to welcome in the new year with you."

Clark whimpered and struggled unconsciously with the ropes to try and get his hands on Batman. "You really want me?" he said, totally incredulous. "I don't believe you."

Batman sighed irritably. "I want you. Badly. And as soon as possible. I would suggest you start believing me, as I'm getting tired of reiterating it."

Superman tilted an eyebrow. "That sounds a little more like you." He frowned and finally came up with the question Batman had been dreading. "Why now? Why are you telling me all of this right now?"

Batman tried to pick up the pace on the knots a bit. Running out of time. "Because we're both currently bound with Diana's lasso."

"What?" Superman contorted himself until he could see the gleaming gold binding their hands together. "You knew that all along?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Patently, yes."

"But...but I never would have asked you all those questions if I'd known! I'd never have coerced you into saying all that!" Clark started blushing, presumably remembering certain parts of the conversation.

"I know that, Kal."

"If you'd just _told_ me, I never would have ended up kissing you, and you never would have ended up admitting, uh, what you did, so _why didn't you say anything?"_

Batman's fingers teased the last knot out-- _finally, thank God--_ just before Clark finished asking the question. He whisked the golden cord off of his wrists, flicking it free of Superman as well, and coiled it up to fasten to his waist.

"I don't have to answer that question," he said triumphantly, pointing at Superman.

He turned to the door and began examining the lock. Behind him, there was a thoughtful silence for some time. Then Superman stepped up next to him and wrenched open the cell bars. As he stepped through the gap, he turned around and grinned at Batman.

"So after we find Diana and get out of here, we meet at your place?"

Batman found it necessary to kiss him again, merely to wipe the smug smile from that unendurably handsome face.

  



End file.
